• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’

2

The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families

3

Current price of oil as of June 18, 2026

1

Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’

2

The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families

3

Current price of oil as of June 18, 2026
Tech

Startup Gets Nearly $11 Million to Develop Flying Cars

By
Paul Sawers
Paul Sawers
and
VentureBeat
VentureBeat
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Paul Sawers
Paul Sawers
and
VentureBeat
VentureBeat
Down Arrow Button Icon
December 5, 2016, 12:51 PM ET
Photograph by Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Flying cars have long been the centerpiece of fantastical future visions, but personal flying machines never quite materialized. One startup, however, is looking to change that.

Lilium Aviation has today announced a €10 million ($10.7 million) funding round from Skype cofounder Niklas Zennström’s Atomico, to create a world “in which everyone can fly anywhere, anytime,” the company says. But the electric Lilium jet isn’t a car as such — it doesn’t have wheels.

The jet remains a prototype for now, but with its latest funding round the company is looking to expedite development, with flight-testing kicking off in early 2017 ahead of commercial production.

The problem that Lilium is trying to fix is one that some technology giants are addressing through other means. For example, one of Uber’s stated goals is to cut down on the number of cars on the roads by giving everyone access to their own private driver through their smartphone, something that will likely be expedited with the advance of autonomous car technology.

Lilium anticipates that its jets will have a similar impact on conurbations’ transport infrastructure. “Our cities are heading for perpetual gridlock, choked by an ever-growing number of cars  —  1.2 billion today, rising to an estimated 2 billion by 2035,” Lilium said, in a blog post announcing the funding.

Key to its success is vertical take-off and landing — runways aren’t needed. The company hasn’t revealed how much the vehicles will cost, but it has said there will be space for two passengers, and the jet has an estimated cruising velocity of 250 to 300 km/h (160 to 190 mph) and a range of around 300 km (190 miles). The company noted that it expects businesses to crop up around its technology, including air taxi services and ride-sharing services.

For more about flying cars, watch:

Lilium isn’t the only company operating in this space — Massachusetts-based Terrafugia promises something similar, and recently received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that will help pave the way to getting unmanned passenger vehicles in the skies by 2018.

This post was originally published at VentureBeat. All rights reserved.

About the Authors
By Paul Sawers
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By VentureBeat
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

The week that changed AI: Inside Trump’s Anthropic crackdown, and how a phone call from Amazon CEO Andy Jassy triggered the chaos
AIAnthropic
The week that changed AI: Inside Trump’s Anthropic crackdown, and how a phone call from Amazon CEO Andy Jassy triggered the chaos
By Sebastian Herrera and Beatrice NolanJune 18, 2026
4 hours ago
Half of U.S. adults under 50 get health information from influencers who mostly aren’t medical professionals, Pew finds
HealthSocial Media
Half of U.S. adults under 50 get health information from influencers who mostly aren’t medical professionals, Pew finds
By Mia OsmonbekovJune 18, 2026
6 hours ago
LaShonda Anderson-Williams, chief customer and commercial officer at Salesforce, speaking at Fortune Brainstorm Tech 2026 in Aspen, Colorado. (Photo: Stuart Isett/Fortune)
Future of WorkBrainstorm Tech
How to run a company when the AI agents vastly outnumber the humans
By Alexei OreskovicJune 18, 2026
8 hours ago
LinkedIn research says half of C-suite leaders are flying blind on AI—and its CBO says they can’t fix it the way they’re trying
Future of WorkLeadership
LinkedIn research says half of C-suite leaders are flying blind on AI—and its CBO says they can’t fix it the way they’re trying
By Nick LichtenbergJune 18, 2026
8 hours ago
Sanders stands at a podium with a poster that reads "fight oligarchy"
PoliticsBernie Sanders
‘Make AI work for ordinary people’: Bernie Sanders wants to pay you $1,000 every year from a government stake in AI companies 
By Jacqueline MunisJune 18, 2026
10 hours ago
Exclusive: Son of pro-crypto New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand raises $30 million to launch a derivatives exchange
CryptoPolitics
Exclusive: Son of pro-crypto New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand raises $30 million to launch a derivatives exchange
By Ben WeissJune 18, 2026
11 hours ago

Most Popular

Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’
Success
Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 18, 2026
21 hours ago
The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families
Economy
The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families
By Jacqueline MunisJune 17, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of June 18, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 18, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 18, 2026
15 hours ago
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
Big Tech
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
By Tristan BoveJune 15, 2026
3 days ago
Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer publicly dismissed Chrome as a 'rounding error'—but Google’s CEO says he used the jab as fuel to win the browser-wars
Success
Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer publicly dismissed Chrome as a 'rounding error'—but Google’s CEO says he used the jab as fuel to win the browser-wars
By Preston ForeJune 17, 2026
2 days ago
'Work hard, stay loyal, and the system will reward you': the Boomer credo is a Gen X betrayal and a Millennial pipe dream
Success
'Work hard, stay loyal, and the system will reward you': the Boomer credo is a Gen X betrayal and a Millennial pipe dream
By Nick LichtenbergJune 16, 2026
3 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.